Liverpool FC Forum

[red till i die!!]

very disapointing if we dont sign someone before friday.
fair enough we missed out on salah but where is the other targets we have in mind? what are our scouts doing ?
fenway deserve stick for being so miserable with the money but rodgers deserves it also for wasting money in the summer. he bought a player for 8mil and just loaned him out where as we could do with that money now. aspas and alberto is more money wasted from the summer he should have done better with.
we where at the same shyte in the summer but towards the end of the window there was talk of mik for 20+ and costa 30+. if we where prepared to spend it then why not now? especially when CL is within our reach.
at the moment it feels like they just screwed us over by offering suarez a massive deal just to get more money in the summer because it doesnt look like they want to fulfil his ambition or ours.
if he leaves and yer man is let purchase more shyte along the lines of what he has then we are in big trouble

[maguskwt]

I'm more concerned with us unwilling to go for 20+ and 30+ million targets than missing out on Salah. If the owners and BR are thinking they can get 10 million dollar players who can impact the first team, they are dreaming.

Go out there and buy a proper classy DM or an all rounded CM... that alone should improve our performances alot...

[Rush Job]

Salah is a great player for that price. we have players in that 10m bracket impacting the team. He would have been another one. 30m targets normally want cl footy and a huge wage. We are still building, just at the moment with invisible bricks.

[maguskwt]

ote="Rush Job » Tue Jan 28, 2014 1:18 pm"]Salah is a great player for that price. we have players in that 10m bracket impacting the team. He would have been another one. 30m targets normally want cl footy and a huge wage. We are still building, just at the moment with invisible bricks.[/quote]
We are talking about another game changer which we need to replace Gerrard. And game changers do not usually come in 10 million bracket. We were extremely lucky with sturridge and Coutinho.

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

I don't know if mourinho is just putting his oar in to wind us up but he has been saying that they can't believe how good Salah is in training, apparently he is lightening fast and so skillful that the Chelsea defenders are struggling to get anywhere near him.
He reckons by selling mata and bringing in Salah Chelsea have upgraded. 

[Rush Job]

ote="Rush Job » Tue Jan 28, 2014 1:18 pm"]Salah is a great player for that price. we have players in that 10m bracket impacting the team. He would have been another one. 30m targets normally want cl footy and a huge wage. We are still building, just at the moment with invisible bricks.

We are talking about another game changer which we need to replace Gerrard. And game changers do not usually come in 10 million bracket. We were extremely lucky with sturridge and Coutinho.[/quote]


And the manager found another. He was just let down like the rest of us. There is no use dreaming of 30m players, just bring in the managers targets.

[red till i die!!]

I don't know if mourinho is just putting his oar in to wind us up but he has been saying that they can't believe how good Salah is in training, apparently he is lightening fast and so skillful that the Chelsea defenders are struggling to get anywhere near him.
He reckons by selling mata and bringing in Salah Chelsea have upgraded. 

he's just rubbing it in the same as he was when he said it only took hours to tie up the deal. the man is a mong 
fwiw im looking forward to seeing what we missed out on and whether or not he will feature much for them.

[devaney]

We have bought players but only 'squad fillers' for the most part and what we need, and Rodgers wants, are top class footballers
that we can put in the first 11 to try and get us top 4.

Youth system at Liverpool is bang on and nobody has an issue buying players that are slightly ahead of that with potential but
quite often you have to throw a lot of money in and this is where FSG have lost their bottle.

They seem like decent people but their first love is baseball and they attend half a dozen Liverpool games a year maximum, and
we cannot go on thanking them forever for getting us out of a hole.

Rodgers is a good manager and has put us in brilliant position and no doubt expected backing in this window, but Salah has slipped
away through sheer greed, lowballing and p*ssing about over a top class young player, and naturally he has been snapped up by
a club willing and able to invest.

Mourhino is almost using his former apprentice as a trusted scout now and buying players he identifies. That is how good Rodgers is.

Mignolet and Sakho could not be regarded as squad fillers. They cost not far off £30m which isn't actually peanuts. After all the fk ups over the last five years I think a lot of supporters are expecting far too much.

[maguskwt]

ote="Rush Job » Tue Jan 28, 2014 1:18 pm"]Salah is a great player for that price. we have players in that 10m bracket impacting the team. He would have been another one. 30m targets normally want cl footy and a huge wage. We are still building, just at the moment with invisible bricks.

We are talking about another game changer which we need to replace Gerrard. And game changers do not usually come in 10 million bracket. We were extremely lucky with sturridge and Coutinho.

And the manager found another. He was just let down like the rest of us. There is no use dreaming of 30m players, just bring in the managers targets.[/quote]

We don't know that... I think Willian was a costlier lost than Salah... we are where we are (ie only CL challenging position) because we rely too much on 10 million plus players... in order to challenge for the title, we need a high quality signing... like in the category of Mata... and credit must go to BR for his system and getting this much out of this crop of players.

On another note, if we're winning like against everton, will the owners find the need for any transfers in this window? I think they will be convincing BR, wait for the summer, then you will be able to go after proper targets...

[leeroy74]

well according to BR he's hoping 1 massive signing before Friday. His words, not mine.

[Kash_Mountain]

Sporting Director, would be interesting if we had one.

http://tomkinstimes.com/2014/01/the-cas ... erpool-fc/?

[kazza]

From Skysports:

Liverpool have reported a nine per cent increase in revenue to £206.1m for the year ending May 31, 2013.

The club, currently just four points off top spot in the Barclays Premier League, also revealed external debt decreased by 29 per cent to £45.1m from £65m.

The increase in revenue continues a steady upward trend since Fenway Sports Group took over the club in October 2010 while, during the same period, external debt has fallen by almost £200m.

Commercial revenues rose to £97.7m from £63.9m, media revenues showed a slight increase at £63.8m from £62.8m while administrative expenses for the period were £213.1m compared to £176.5m.

In a statement on the club's official website, managing director Ian Ayre said: "These results demonstrate the financial health of the club continues to make good progress as we continue our journey to transform the club on and off the pitch.

"Over the past four or five years, revenue has been consistently increasing from around £170million in 2009 to over £200m today, and external debt has decreased significantly to less than £50m.

"With a hugely supportive ownership group, we have taken a measured approach to bring back financial stability to this great club by ensuring it is properly structured on and off the pitch.

"With a hugely supportive ownership group, we have taken a measured approach to bring back financial stability to this great club by ensuring it is properly structured on and off the pitch."
Ian Ayre
"During the period, we signed six new players including Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and Joe Allen, and we extended seven players' contracts which included Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel, Martin Kelly, Lucas Leiva and Raheem Sterling.

"We have added depth and strength to the squad while continuing to develop young talent. In addition, nine players were transferred out and eight players were loaned out.

"These financial results are now up to 18 months old and we have continued to make further progress since this reporting period.

"Our strong links remain with our existing partners, signing new deals with Standard Chartered, Garuda and Carlsberg, and we have recently announced five new partnerships which endorses the global appeal of the LFC brand.

"We continue to invest in our digital and TV platforms and recently announced nine new television partnerships, allowing millions of fans across the world to watch Liverpool games and receive exclusive content.

"We have also seen good progress being made regarding a proposed stadium expansion at Anfield. Any final decision continues to be based on certainty; however, since the partnership was established between Liverpool City Council, Your Housing Group and LFC only 16 months ago, we regard the progress as extremely positive.

"Given where Liverpool Football Club was only a few years ago, the progress that has been made since FSG acquired the club has brought back much-needed stability with an ambitious vision which everyone is focused on.

"I'd like to thank everyone involved in running the club - our owners, fans, partners, players and staff - for all the hard work and dedication."

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

The BBC and the Guardian etc aren't quite reporting it like that, they just say that we've posted a £50m loss, some people are even saying we could fall foul of the FFP rules.

[SouthCoastShankly]

The BBC and the Guardian etc aren't quite reporting it like that, they just say that we've posted a £50m loss, some people are even saying we could fall foul of the FFP rules.

Actually they're both reporting the exact same thing. Sky are focussing on the positives of the financial report - turnover and external debt reduction. BBC and the Guardian are focussing on the fact we have posted an overall loss. Debt is one of many balance sheet items that form an overall profit/loss figure.   

The Times article offered a little more objectivity -

Liverpool remain confident of achieving their objective of adhering to Uefa’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules despite recording annual losses of almost £50 million as the implications of their ongoing absence from the Champions League and the legacy of Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, the club’s previous owners, continues to bite.

In the last two financial years, Liverpool have posted losses totalling £90 million during a period in which, under FFP, owners are allowed to absorb aggregate losses of £37.2 million for 2011-12 and 2012-13. From 2015-16, the maximum permitted loss over three seasons - as opposed to two - will fall to £25 million and will be reduced further from 2018-19.

As is the case with all other member clubs, Liverpool are permitted to offset costs from youth development, infrastructure, community projects and the wages of any player signed before July 2010 against their losses. That could potentially allow them to comply with FFP requirements and with several lucrative commercial deals signed in the last 18 months, adherence is not expected to be an issue when Liverpool’s next set of accounts are published next year.

One of the primary causes of Liverpool’s latest losses was player transfers and the need for them to write down the contracts of a number of players. Around £50 million was spent on signings with only £8 million recouped, while Joe Cole and Alberto Aquilani both received a seven figure sum as a payout to leave Anfield.

The sense that Liverpool are emerging from the precipice of financial meltdown is supported by their bank debts being reduced by £19.9 million and turnover exceeding £200 million for the first time, with the figures relating to the 12-month period to May 31 last year. The annual report also showed that the club’s financial position has been bolstered by an inter-company interest-free loan of £46.8 million from Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the owner.

That collateral was injected by FSG to pay off debts relating to past failed stadium projects under Hicks and Gillett. The club are now expected to submit a planning application to redevelop Anfield in the coming months.

The absence of Champions League revenue was once again apparent in Liverpool’s accounts but despite having access to that lucrative income source, Ian Ayre, the managing director, believes the club are in good financial health and expects further improvements in the near future as the impact of recent commercial deals becomes apparent.

“These results demonstrate that the financial health of the club continues to make good progress as we continue our journey to transform the club on and off the pitch,” Ayre said.

“Over the past four or five years, revenue has been consistently increasing from around £170 million in 2009 to over £200 million today - and external debt has decreased significantly to less than £50 million.

“With a hugely supportive ownership group, we have taken a measured approach to bring back financial stability to this great club by ensuring it is properly structured on and off the pitch. These financial results are now up to 18 months old and we have continued to make further progress since this reporting period.

“Our strong links remain with our existing partners signing new deals with Standard Chartered, Garuda and Carlsberg, and we have recently announced five new partnerships which endorses the global appeal of the LFC brand.

“We continue to invest in our digital and TV platforms and recently announced nine new television partnerships allowing millions of fans across the world to watch Liverpool games and receive exclusive content.

“We have also seen good progress being made regarding a proposed stadium expansion at Anfield. Any final decision continues to be based on certainty. However since the partnership was established between Liverpool City Council, Your Housing Group and LFC only 16 months ago, we regard the progress as extremely positive.

“Given where Liverpool Football Club was only a few years ago, the progress that has been made since FSG acquired the club has brought back much needed stability with an ambitious vision which everyone is focused on.”

Key points
- Annual loss of £49.8m (£40.5m in previous accounts which covered a shorter, ten month period)
- Turnover up to £206.1m (£169m in previous accounts)
- Net bank debt down by £19.9m to £45.1 m (£65m in previous accounts)
- Commercial revenues up to £97.7m (£63.9m in previous accounts)
- Media revenues of £63.8 million (£62.8m in previous accounts)
- Administrative expenses at £213.1million (£176.5m in previous accounts)
- Interest payments £4.5 million (£3.7m in previous accounts)
- Players net book value £121.8m (£110.5m previous accounts)
- Interest free intercompany loan (via FSG) of £46.8 million to Liverpool.

The key point for this set of the accounts is we have done extraordinarily well to clear much of the H&G debt without external help (the exception is the FSG interest free loan to clear stadium debt). Another really key point is these accounts are 6 months behind at any point in time, as the article points out although we currently are in a position that would fall foul of FFPR, however the forecast is that we will be out of this position soon. We have not yet to take credit for costs associated with youth development and we have other sponsorships revenue that has not been factored in. And this is all without CL, assuming we achieve CL this season our losses disappear with TV money alone.

We are moving in the right direction. The club is competently clearing debt, minimising cost and maximising revenues - all in preparation for FFPR that start hitting hard starting in 2015.

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

Cheers for that SCS, very informative, thanks mate.